Chapter Titles: Are Chapter Names Mandatory?
The "mandatory" first rule of writing is that everything is as mandatory as it is optional. Writers learn the rules so they can break the...
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Blog
Karina Sokulski
- Dec 2, 2019
Writing Reference Books I Use
In the spirit of the holidays, the need to buy a meaningful gift for the writer in your family is a must. I posted an accompanying blog...
Karina Sokulski
- Oct 28, 2019
Historical Fashion in Fiction
We all know how crucial accuracy is when it comes to any historical drama. Whether this drama comes from a book or movie, accuracy is key...
Karina Sokulski
- Oct 27, 2019
Writing With a Recorder: A Guide to Effectively Hearing Yourself Speak
Have you ever spent time at your desk talking out your latest scene in your book rather than writing it? As an auditory learner, I've...
Karina Sokulski
- Sep 20, 2019
Writing Boot Camp: Building Your Own From Home
Summer is almost over, and autumn is on its way, which means NaNoWriMo is fast approaching. For any novelist, the turn of the season...
Karina Sokulski
- Sep 2, 2019
Secrets & Lies
Not too long ago, I attended a writing class that focused on the interesting subject matter of "secrets and lies" as narrative devices....
Karina Sokulski
- Jul 6, 2019
Prequels: The Before Story...But After
Oh prequels, you’re quickly becoming my bad habit when it comes to my writing. You’re becoming that heart-skipping surprise when my...
Karina Sokulski
- May 30, 2019
Outlining Story Premises (With a Worksheet)
It should come as no surprise at this point that I'm riding the novel writing train with all of these posts about character arcs,...
Karina Sokulski
- May 22, 2019
The Character Alignment System
I've been working on some additional characters lately and found myself perusing the character alignment system. I poked through the many...
Karina Sokulski
- May 3, 2019
Knowing When it's Time to Leave You're Critique Group
It's happened, the giddiness of sitting at the table with the rest of your critique group has gotten stale. You begin to notice the once...
Karina Sokulski
- Mar 12, 2019
Three-Act Structure...Focus Shifts but Mostly About Act III
Here we are at the end of this little series of blog posts about the Three-Act Structure. Here is just one more friendly reminder that my...
Karina Sokulski
- Mar 8, 2019
Three-Act Structure...Less Rambling and More Act II
Onto part two of this exploration of the three-act structure and, as the title suggests, less rambling about the mixed feelings writers...
Karina Sokulski
- Mar 7, 2019
The-Three Act Structure...No Brief History, Just Act I (and Contemplation)
So here's an interesting topic that came up while chatting with a couple of fellow writers: The Three Act Structure. What got me thinking...
Karina Sokulski
- Feb 28, 2019
Write What You Don't Know
I remember taking my first creative writing class in my junior year of high school. I was thrilled every day to go to this class to learn...
Karina Sokulski
- Feb 27, 2019
World Building Taboos You Should Break
As I'm writing my fantasy novel, I've come across some bits of good advice from my fellow writers on what taboos to break when...
Karina Sokulski
- Feb 3, 2019
Why Your Writing Plan Never Works Out the Way You Plan
When I first started planning my novel series, I had a solid plan. I had the graphs, the outlines, you name it. I had a very clear idea...
Karina Sokulski
- Feb 3, 2019
Is Your Main Character "Good Enough?"
It's an interesting question I was asked recently, and no, it was not asked with sarcastic intention. The intention behind the person who...
Karina Sokulski
- Jan 20, 2019
The Scrapping Loop
It's happened again, I've worked several days on a chapter full of riveting dialogue between my main character and her love interest....
Karina Sokulski
- Dec 29, 2018
Podcast Recommendations: New Year, New Teachers
Maybe this is just me, but every year after NaNoWriMo I get a little burned out from typing 50k in one month. In those first two weeks of...
Karina Sokulski
- Sep 26, 2018
NaNoWriMo Prep: Plan, Tool Kit and Motivation
Next week literally starts off October and I couldn't be more prone to biting at my nails at the thought of November being around the...
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